Bhubaneswar: Odisha will undertake the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls for 2027, with January 1, 2027, fixed as the qualifying date, officials said on Tuesday.
The revision programme will be conducted in accordance with the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The schedule, implementation strategy and measures to ensure a fair, transparent and error-free electoral roll revision process were discussed at a meeting held at the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, here.
The meeting was chaired by Additional Chief Electoral Officer (ACEO) Sushanta Kumar Mishra and attended by representatives of various political parties.
As per the data available as of November 8, 2026, Odisha has 3,19,12,623 registered voters, including 1,62,51,443 men and 1,56,58,405 women. The state also has 2,775 third-gender voters, 3,86,185 young voters and 4,52,073 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), officials said.
As part of the revision exercise, the rationalisation and reorganisation of polling stations will be completed by November 20, 2026, while the integrated draft electoral roll will be published on November 30.
The period for filing claims and objections will be from November 30 to December 30, 2026. All claims and objections received during this period will be disposed of by January 16, 2027, and the final electoral roll will be published on January 21, officials said.
Eligible voters can apply for the inclusion of their names in the electoral roll through Form 6, while Form 6A is meant for the registration of overseas Indian voters.
Form 7 can be used to raise objections to the proposed inclusion of a name or seek the deletion of an existing entry. Form 8 is prescribed for shifting residence, correction of electoral roll entries, obtaining a replacement Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) and marking a voter as a Person with Disability.
Applications can be submitted online through the Voters’ Service Portal (https://voters.eci.gov.in) or in the prescribed forms to the concerned Booth Level Officer (BLO) at the respective polling station.
Advance applications will also be accepted for the subsequent qualifying dates of April 1, July 1 and October 1, 2027. Such applications will be processed during the respective quarters.
The CEO’s office has urged all recognised political parties to appoint one Booth Level Agent (BLA) for each polling station to coordinate with the respective BLOs during the revision exercise.
Each BLA will be permitted to collect and submit a maximum of 10 Forms 6, 7 and 8 per day, subject to an overall limit of 30 forms during the claims and objections period. Applications exceeding the prescribed limit will be subject to re-verification by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO).
BLAs will also have to submit a declaration confirming that they have personally verified the information furnished in the applications, officials said.
Political parties have been requested to submit their suggestions and proposals regarding the reorganisation of polling stations before the proposals are finalised.
To ensure transparency, the lists of claims and objections will be published on the official website of the Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha. A minimum clear notice period of seven days will be provided after the publication of the lists and their distribution to political parties, in accordance with applicable legal provisions, before the claims and objections are disposed of.
The names of deceased voters, those who have permanently shifted their residences and those registered more than once will be deleted only after proper verification and in accordance with ECI guidelines.
Officials clarified that furnishing an Aadhaar number for the inclusion or retention of a name in the electoral roll is entirely voluntary. No application will be rejected, and no voter’s name will be deleted, solely on the ground of non-submission of an Aadhaar number.
An appeal against an order of the Electoral Registration Officer can be filed before the District Magistrate, the first appellate authority, under Section 24(a) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. A second appeal can be preferred before the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24(b) of the Act.
Special registration drives and camps will be organised to facilitate the enrolment of eligible citizens whose names are yet to be included in the electoral rolls. The initiatives will focus particularly on young and first-time voters, women, third-gender persons, Scheduled Tribes, Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Persons with Disabilities, senior citizens, migrants and other vulnerable sections of society.
Facilitation centres will also be established at the district and Assembly constituency levels. Every recognised political party will be provided one printed copy and one soft copy of the draft and final electoral rolls prepared for each polling station, free of cost.
The CEO’s office has urged all recognised political parties to actively cooperate in creating awareness and facilitating the registration of eligible voters to ensure an accurate, inclusive and error-free electoral roll.
The meeting was attended by Finance Advisor Sanjay Kumar Lugun, Joint Chief Electoral Officer Gopinath Kuanr, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Dr Laxmi Prasad Sahu, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Anamika Singh, representatives of various political parties and other officials of the CEO’s office.
